#33: Greg and Em's Silverlake Sanctuary

eBay, Giant Robot, design blogs, and the shapes and colours of our favourite toys and desserts.

What inspired you?

We were given carte blanche by our apartment management to renovate the slightly run-down 1917 studio apartment in any way we saw fit, and we've taken full advantage of the opportunity to paint and decorate the cozy apartment with details that exhibit our interests in art, modernism, vintage fabrics, cooking, japanese collectibles, ephemera, and printed matter. The studio is a direct extension of our personalities, lifestyle and interests, and has really taught us to live better with less...an especially notable accomplishment considering our bibliophilia and propensity for collecting.

The limited space, especially the kitchen, has forced us to optimize by both organization and the use of colour. We wanted to maintain a distinct living room for the two occupants and our two rascally felines, so we converted the breakfast nook into our bedroom, painted the walls a soothing-cool shade and covered the previous occupant's attempt at faux red brick vinyl flooring with stark white tiles, enlarging perceived space and giving each room a characteristic feel.

Design Tip:

Patience is a virtue when transforming a space. Both of us believe in waiting for the right piece for the right price, rather than rushing into purchases that we might regret later. Live by the dogma: "buy less, buy better and buy only what you love".